Thoughtful Observations and News from The Homestead.....................
updated three times a week or "there about"

Welcome to our Blog

In March of 2011 my wife and I quit or jobs, cashed in our chips and left the big city behind to move to our farm hidden away in northeast Georgia. These are our observations on the news of the day and our adventures in homesteading, becoming self reliant, prepping and living a simpler, more fulfilling life.

Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Preppers seeking a high-performance tactical carbine should give this vintage and battle proven firearm some consideration.

There is a desire among preppers and others to have in their arsenal a capable "tactical" long gun with the specific purpose of self defense. There are many rifles that fit this category such as the AR-15, AK-47, Mini-14and many others.There is a readily available, often overlooked long gun that is superb for this purpose and that can compete with most of its more high-tech and more expensive competition -- the M1 carbine.

With proper ammunition, the M1 carbine can easily compete in effectiveness with .223-chambered weapons out to at least 150 yards, and few have any need shooting at anybody farther away than that. In addition, the M1 carbine weighs only 5 1/2 lbs., making it a pound or more lighter than most of its competition, including even the pistol-caliber carbines, and considerably lighter than the M16A2 at 7.9 lbs. The M1 carbine has many other assets as well. It has superb reliability under the worst field conditions. Its accuracy exceeds that of virtually all the pistol-caliber carbines and is comparable with that of many of the semi-automatic .223 rifles.

Ballistically, the M1 carbine's little .30 caliber cartridge packs about 2.5 times the kinetic energy of a standard .45 ACP or 9mm load fired from a pistol. This is solidly in the energy territory of the .44 Mag. revolver. Indeed it has only 90 ft./lbs. less energy at the muzzle than the Russian 5.45x39mm cartridge and is only a little farther behind the .223 when fired from 14.5" or 16" barreled carbines.Usingexpanding bullets,Out to at least 150 yards, the .30 Carbine cartridge usually makes a more serious wound than does the .223, .308 or .30-'06, when the latter are used with FMJ bullets. It is also greatly superior to any of the common defensive pistol rounds fired from a handgun or carbine, even when the latter uses hollow point ammunition.

When the .30 Carbine cartridge is loaded with expanding bullets, its effectiveness as a manstopper increases exponentially. One police unit used M1 carbines loaded with JSPs in several shootings. They found the carbines to be extremely effective. Quoting one of their more experienced officers about the results from shootings with a .30 Carbine using expanding bullet ammunition, "We never had to shoot anyone twice."

One former Marine who saw extensive combat with the MI carbine in the Pacific in World War II was quite emphatic that the little gun and its cartridge were effective in the close-range combat that he experienced. He also stated that he greatly preferred the M1 carbine to the Garand for that type of fighting because of its much lighter weight, shorter length and higher magazine capacity.

Probably the most authoritative account of the effectiveness of the M1 carbine in real combat comes from the superb book Shots Fired In Anger by John George. George served as a company grade officer in World War II in the famous Merrill's Marauders, operating behind Japanese lines. George was a highly experienced and successful service rifle competitor, shooter and hunter before the war, so all of his writing is from the perspective of someone highly knowledgeable about guns.

George reports, "The M1 carbine turned out to be the ace weapon of the war, as far as I am concerned. It was light and handy, powerful, and reasonably accurate ... The cartridge was powerful enough to penetrate several thicknesses of helmet, and to perforate the plates of the Japanese bulletproof vest, which would only be dented by .45 auto slugs. It was flat shooting enough to have practical accuracy at more than 200 yards ... For many types of offensive fighting, such as sneak raids and infiltration tactics, it was often superior even to the M1 (Garand), penetration being the only point of difference."

The Ml carbine is too good a gun to be overlooked. Several hundred thousand of them are in circulation in the U.S., and although you will find new issue M1's listed in the $700 range, many used M1's can be purchased at very reasonable prices.A Google search will lead to a plethora of accessories available for the M1 allowing for personalizing and extended utility.

info for this article was sourced from "Guns Magazine" June 2001

Pics of the M1 Carbine

Famous pictures of Patty Hearst and Malcolm X, both holding M1 Carbines.

Monday, November 28, 2011

The Homestead Report will now be updated 3 times a week. There will also be random news related updates. This update's subject is Detroit.

Detroit... A Vision of Our Future?

Detroit's clock striking midnight

The City of Detroit is running out of money.

Not in the theoretical terms we've imagined for decades, but in literal figures, splayed out over spreadsheets that tell a long story of mismanagement and incompetence, culminating in insolvency.

Cash runs out by April, unless dramatic steps are taken. Tonight, Mayor Dave Bing will address the city to lay out his plan to avoid a financial implosion.

But he's late -- a leader who inherited a financial mess in 2009 but didn't act swiftly or decisively enough to stop a slide that had been building for decades.

The short-term options now are all either horribly unappealing or beyond the mayor's grasp. And financial analyses say even the most draconian (massive layoffs or repudiation of the city's retiree benefit obligations) buy the city only a short reprieve; the imbalance would return by next summer.Read more... Detroit's clock striking midnight

Detroit's financial challenges

Detroit's financial crisis stems from a plummeting tax base and skyrocketing operating costs. Here are some of the elements that helped bring Detroit to this crisis point.

Accumulated deficit

During each of the past 12 years, Detroit has added to its deficit, which is now about $200 million and growing. Despite pledges from Mayor Dave Bing that the city had a handle on the crisis, a report shows the city continues to spend more than it takes in.Read more... Detroit's finances

Ghost town !!!!!

Let's go for a ride starting in Highland Park (first few buildings), and then into Detroit . Witness the destruction of a once Great industrial American city. Even in downtown Detroit, there are empty skyscrapers.... This video is just a TINY fraction of the insane number of buildings destroyed in Detroit . Historical buildings are falling apart leaving nothing for the next generations to admire. I urge viewers to research the true reasons of why this happened to this city, because if it happened to once great Detroit..... it might happen to Yours...

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The Fall of a Once Mighty Empire... Detroit

The blight and stench stays with you long after you exit the city. Squatters are not uncommon, Often when you enter you are welcomed with a smell that makes you worry what you will find. Like these photo’s , I see the beauty hidden in the decay and wonder about these structures when occupants resided there. When a city cared about integrity and it's citizens and they in-turn cared for their city. I have read the Detroit Almanac cover to cover and it shares what a great city it once was. The blight can be attributed to so many different things, Greedy unions and politicians, mismanagement, suburban sprawl, corrupt mayors, crime and drugs, break downs in the family units and in the end a tax base fleeing an oppressive, overburdened and untrustworthy government. Each one, another brick on the back of a city that already struggled and eventually succumbed to the weight. The biggest factors that led to Detroit's downfall were the effects of "Free Trade", the mass exodus of the manufacturing base, along with Detroit's corrupted and entrenched government and it's refusal to put the city and it's citizens future ahead of their own. It went on for years- the last of them, Kwame Kilpatrick and his gang of thieves and thugs, are gone and perhaps Detroit can move forward, but it may be to late.

If you care to look (it would take little more than a Google search or two and the effort of a couple of mouse clicks) you will find other once proud cities and (states) approaching a similar fate as Detroit. They now do all they think possible to ward off their final death throws. Look hard at what put them in such precarious positions..... Our own Federal Government seems in a similar state. -JP

And since we're talking Detroit

U.S. boosts estimate of auto bailout losses to $23.6B

The Treasury Department dramatically boosted its estimate of losses from its $85 billion auto industry bailout by more than $9 billion in the face of General Motors Co.'s steep stock decline.

In its monthly report to Congress, the Treasury Department now says it expects to lose $23.6 billion, up from its previous estimate of $14.33 billion.In total, the government used $425 billion to bailout banks, insurance companies and automakers, and provided $45 billion in housing program assistance.

The government now expects to lose $57.33 billion, including the full cost of the housing program, up from $36.7 billion. The new estimate means the government doesn't believe it will make an overall profit on its bailouts. Read more... detnews.com

Sunday, November 27, 2011

An Editorial: For President, Newt Gingrich

Newt Gingrich talks about issues during a stop at the New Hampshire Union Leader on Monday.

(DAVID LANE/UNION LEADER)

This newspaper endorses Newt Gingrich in the New Hampshire Presidential Primary.

America is at a crucial crossroads. It is not going to be enough to merely replace Barack Obama next year. We are in critical need of the innovative, forward-looking strategy and positive leadership that Gingrich has shown he is capable of providing.

He did so with the Contract with America. He did it in bringing in the first Republican House in 40 years and by forging balanced budgets and even a surplus despite the political challenge of dealing with a Democratic President. A lot of candidates say they're going to improve Washington. Newt Gingrich has actually done that, and in this race he offers the best shot of doing it again.

We sympathize with the many people we have heard from, both here and across the country, who remain unsure of their choice this close to the primary. It is understandable. Our nation is in peril, yet much of the attention has been focused on fluff, silliness and each candidate's minor miscues.

Truth be known, many in the liberal media are belittling the Republican candidates because they don't want any of them to be taken as a serious challenger to their man, Obama.

Readers of the Union Leader and Sunday News know that we don't back candidates based on popularity polls or big-shot backers. We look for conservatives of courage and conviction who are independent-minded, grounded in their core beliefs about this nation and its people, and best equipped for the job.

We don't have to agree with them on every issue. We would rather back someone with whom we may sometimes disagree than one who tells us what he thinks we want to hear.

Newt Gingrich is by no means the perfect candidate. But Republican primary voters too often make the mistake of preferring an unattainable ideal to the best candidate who is actually running. In this incredibly important election, that candidate is Newt Gingrich. He has the experience, the leadership qualities and the vision to lead this country in these trying times. He is worthy of your support on January 10. unionleader.com

Monday, November 21, 2011

Ann Barnhardt describes herself as "an old-school commercial hedge broker specializing in cattle and grain. Farmers, ranchers, etc. Actual hedging of actual cattle and grain using futures and options. Very old-school original." On Thursday, November 17th she announced Barnhardt Capital Management has ceased operations, saying, "my retirement came a few years earlier than I had anticipated, but there was no possible way to continue given the inevitability of the collapse of the global financial markets, the overthrow of our government, and the resulting collapse in the rule of law."

Barnhardt Capital Management is a highly regarded, closely followed, oft-quoted and influential outfit. The announcement shocked the market, as has her scathing indictment now circulating in the financial press and talk radio. If you don't read another financial article, this jaw-dropper is the one to see. Among her reasons: http://www.woodpilereport.com/

Everything changed just a few short weeks ago. A firm, led by a crony of the Obama regime, stole all of the non-margined cash held by customers of his firm. Let’s not sugar-coat this or make this crime seem “complex” and “abstract” by drowning ourselves in six-dollar words and uber-technical jargon. Jon Corzine STOLE the customer cash at MF Global. Knowing Jon Corzine, and knowing the abject lawlessness and contempt for humanity of the Marxist Obama regime and its cronies, this is not really a surprise. What was a surprise was the reaction of the exchanges and regulators. Their reaction has been to take a bad situation and make it orders of magnitude worse. Specifically, they froze customers out of their accounts WHILE THE MARKETS CONTINUED TO TRADE, refusing to even allow them to liquidate. This is unfathomable. The risk exposure precedent that has been set is completely intolerable and has destroyed the entire industry paradigm. No informed person can continue to engage these markets, and no moral person can continue to broker or facilitate customer engagement in what is now a massive game of Russian Roulette.

Sunday, November 20, 2011

Recently there was a post by Rourke at modernsurvivalonline.com that reminded many including myself that things are not as they should be...."Growing up I always believed that this country was a place of freedom and where dreams could come true. Where a man could be anything he wanted to be. I have always heard that each generation should live better than the next. I worry that the damage thus far is too permanent to our culture, to our society, and to our government to ever return to the glory days of the Great United States of America. I am referring to the United States that fought in World War II and helped save so many countries from evil. What would Europe look like today if the United States had not gotten involved?"

Read the whole post here and check out the comments also. Rourke's post reminded me of Red's Pledge, I was only nine when I heard it on his show, somehow it was still in the recesses of my memory. Listening to it now reminds me of when I was a young boy and my father building a huge flag pole in our front yard. Once completed he showed me how to raise the flag. The care he took, The whole process... a defined purpose of respect... unfolding it.... careful he said... don't let it touch the ground. He would clip it to the line (I was to short to reach) and then he would let me raise it. I will never forget the pride I felt raising that flag.... just as I do today. He told me what the flag meant to him, what it stood for and about those who had sacrificed so much so that we could stand in our front yard and raise our flag.... I learned much later the sacrifices he made and his service overseas in the Air Force. I wish every child could learn the lessons I learned.... just raising our flag.

Red Skelton's Pledge of Allegiance

"Boys and girls, I have been listening to you recite the Pledge of Allegiance all semester and it appears that it has become monotonous to you or could it be you do not know the meaning of those words. If I may, I would like to recite the Pledge and give to you a definition of the words. I----meaning me, an individual, a committee of one.Pledge----dedicate all of my worldly goods to give without self pity.Allegiance----my love and my devotion.To the Flag----our standard, Old Glory, a symbol of freedom. Wherever she waves, there is respect because your loyalty has given her a dignity that shouts freedom is everybody's job.Of the United----that means that we have all come together.States----individual communities that have united into 48 great states. 48 individual communities with pride and dignity and purpose, all divided with imaginary boundaries, yet united to a common cause, and that's love of country.Of America.
And to the Republic----a republic, a state in which sovereign power is invested in representatives chosen by the people to govern. And government is the people and it's from the people to the leaders, not from the leaders to the people.For which it stands!
One nation----meaning, so blessed by God.Indivisible----incapable of being divided.With Liberty----which is freedom and the right of power to live one's life without threats or fear or any sort of retaliation.And justice----The principle and quality of dealing fairly with others.For all.----which means, boys and girls, it's as much your country as it is mine."

Since I was a small boy, two states have been added to our nation, and two words have been added to the Pledge of Allegiance "under God." Wouldn't it be a pity if someone said, "That's a prayer" and that would be eliminated from schools, too?

The Twilight of Our Collective Dreams

By JP

In the last few years many in this country have seen and felt that something just isn't right. We have witnessed things that seem completely inconsistent with our culture and thought process. Mass groups have marched down the main thoroughfares in dozens of our cities carrying and waving flags of other countries, while are kids are told they can't wear American flag tee shirts to school because it would be offensive to students of different ethnic backgrounds. We are told to say "happy holidays" as "marry christmas" may be somehow offensive. American-Muslim groups use our laws in an attempt to force Sharia Law into our legal system and demand it's use in our courts. We are told that we must display a -passive tolerance- when others try to displace our culture and replace it with a culture from a foreign land. On and on.... but why? Some years back a Harvard sociologist named Nathan Glazer announced that "we are all multiculturalists now." One's first response upon hearing such a declaration might be to ask "what do you mean... "we?" Yet even if "we" aren't subscribers to this ideology, it is undeniable that over the last twenty plus years multiculturalism has become the preferred social engineering strategy throughout our liberal friends policies, our educational systems and our universities -where it was first conceived. Ah yes, the -Ivory Towers- of our ULB (University Like Buildings) where once -knowledge transfer- was the goal, now -indoctrination- is the name of the game. From these ULB's flowed a whole new plague of totalitarian horrors like "diversity", "sensitivity training", "tolerance", "political correctness", "inclusion" and many other speech codes.... all under the umbrella of "multiculturalism." If you are old enough you may remember the 1987 riots at Stanford University (the vanguard of "diversity and inclusion") where the protesting students chanted "Hey, Hey, Ho, Ho, Western Culture has got to go." I wish "academia" would concentrate it's efforts toward history, math and the sciences and leave "abstract expressionism" in the art class where it belongs. Our universities are full of people who are intelligent on paper, but who understand little.

Although there are many tenets in the multiculturalism ideology which have propagated and influenced all matters of our society such as educational curricula, mandated racial proportionality in employment and university admissions, "diversity" has by far done the most damage to our culture. Multiculturalism pushes the theory that all cultures are equal, be it ours or the culture of an immigrant community from a third world country. The progressives believe that immigrants should keep their language and that we are obligated to become a bilingual nation. Our cereal boxes printed with a different language on each side. The progressives believe this enriches our culture and we will all live in a more diverse and therefor richer and wiser community. This is of course in direct contrast to the American -melting pot- ideology which asks everyone to assimilate into our very distinct western culture. Immigrants of course keep their history, can freely practice their religion and live as free a life as anyone else, but are expected to essentially become American, to want to be a part of and belong to, and take ownership of, and stand in defense of " America" and the opportunities and freedoms they are now experiencing. English is our official language and all are expected to learn it. Immigrants are free to speak any language they like but knowing English is an expectation in order to participate in and take ownership of "the grand promise of America."

Examples of the multiculturalism mindset at work:

-Many immigrant parents say that while they want their children to advance economically in their new country, they do not want them to become "American." A common concern among Haitians in South Florida.

-Vietnamese parents in New Orleans often try to keep their children immersed in their ethnic enclave and try not to let them assimilate.

-Asked by researchers Alejandro Portes and Ruben Rumbauthow how they identified themselves, most chose categories of hyphenated Americans. Few choose "American" as their identity.

-Then there was this – asked if they believe the United States is the best country in the world, most of the youngsters answered: no.

- "Maria Jacinto, 32, who moved to the United States 10 years ago with her husband, Aristeo Jacinto, 36. "In the Hispanic tradition, the family comes first. It's important for our children not to be influenced too much by the gueros," she said, using a term that means "blondies" but that she employs generally in reference to Americans.

- Maria Jacinto, who speaks only Spanish, stresses a need to maintain the family's Mexican heritage. Jacinto became a U.S. citizen last April, but she does not feel like an American. In fact, she seems resistant to the idea of assimilating into U.S. society. "I think I'm still a Mexican," she says. "When my skin turns white and my hair turns blonde, then I'll be an American."

-in Miami, three-quarters of residents speak a language other than English at home and 67 percent of those say they are not fluent in English or can't speak it at all.

-In New York City, 4 of every 10 residents speak a language other than English at home, and of these, half said they do not speak English well or can't speak it at all.

- In Miami, where Cuban immigrants dominate the political landscape, tensions are high between Hispanics and blacks, said Nathaniel J. Wilcox, a community activist there. "The perception in the black community, the reality, is that Hispanics don't want some of the power, they want all the power," Wilcox said. "At least when we were going through this with the whites during the Jim Crow era, at least they'd hire us. But Hispanics won't allow African Americans to even compete. They have this feeling that their community is the only community that counts."

Multiculturalism, by all measurement has been an utter failure. It has fractured our society and divided our nation along race, ethnic and cultural lines. Multiculturalism is transforming us from "E Pluribus Unum" (out of many, one) Into many subcultures with different values, ethics and loyalties-all competing against each other for power and the same finite resources... instead of working towards common goals. There was a time... not so long ago... when peoples of other countries dreamed of coming to America. They did not dream of just living here, they dreamed of joining the great American experiment. And when they came they became us... because we were them.... immigrants in a nation born of immigrants. A nation of individuals...but a nation built on our collective dreams. A dream of freedom and opportunity, a dream that says to everyone, regardless of your circumstances or position at birth... opportunity awaits. A dream that says everyone has the right to be... to work toward and pursue with their own ability, drive and vision whatever they dream to be a better life, a better self and a brighter future. And with that... the promise to protect and hold dear an America that makes all possible.

Are we approaching the twilight of our collective dreams? Is the sun setting on our traditional society? Are our "melting pot" ideals and our American culture destined for replacement?... Only time will tell. The one thing that's undeniable is this... if we don't defend what are perhaps the greatest and most honorable ideals and ideologies man has ever dared to dream.. and then make reality... who will?

Every one who sympathizes with the Occupy movement should take a good look at them — not as they will be in the paradise of their aspirations but as they truly are this minute. Look at them, and understand that that’s what tomorrow will look like if they have their way today.

Leftism is bad for people. It makes them awful. The unwashed, ill-mannered, anti-Semitic, entitled, and now violent mobs littering various parts of the nation under the banner “Occupy” believe their ideas will lead to a better society — but they actually are the society their ideas lead to. Their behavior when compared to the polite, law-abiding, non-racist demonstrations of so-called tea partiers tells you everything you need to know about the end results of statism on the one hand and constitutional liberty on the other... Read more...http://pjmedia.com/andrewklavan

I have seen with my own eyes who the OWS are ( I watch the news on both sides, I read the paper on both sides, I go on line and look at both sides). Yes there are some middle aged hippies, but mostly 19 to 25 year old’s whining about their personal plight in life, most of whom know nothing of politics, nothing of capitalism, nothing of marxism, nothing of economics or banking, nothing of Barnie Frank/Chris Dodd and their Fannie/Freddie highjinx and generally have nothing to teach a retired business man of 62 who started 7 companies and employed hundreds of people with good pay and dignity along the way.

They are led, fed and bed by well trained organizers of the radical left. The simple research that has been done on the street by several people (never mind the love affair with the MSM) has shown these groups to be a wild mix of uninformed zombie marxists, anarchists and homeless (the latter of course still around from that dreadful president Reagan and what HE and the republicans “who eat babies and hate the poor” did to them?).

This is your future America, look at it hard when you vote. Do we really want these people dictating our future.

They have nothing to tell me except how I will vote. Unfortunately they have been handed much more power than they deserve.

Thanks...comment on the above story by Larsky

The Thinning Man by JP

Last month in The Los Angeles Times (Part of the liberal propaganda press) there was a story on President Obama's last stop on his bus tour (read fund raiser) designed ...chuckle... to generate support for his jobs bill. It was held at a North Chesterfield, Va. firehouse garage.

The president got a polite reception from the 100 or so people crowded into the station garage. Early in his speech he mentioned his American Jobs Act. One or two people clapped."You can go ahead and clap," the president said. "Go ahead, nothing wrong with it."

Over the last few months the crowds the President draws have been thinning faster than the -Help Wanted- section of your local paper. Where once Obama could generate sold out crowds at any venue, now he has been relegated to high school auditoriums, city parks and fire stations and having to cue his subdued audiences on when to clap for his proposals. Clap now, go ahead, no really- it's ok, please- clap now. I noticed some time ago that in his speeches Obama repeatedly uses phrases like "Let me be perfectly clear" (followed by a blatant lie) and the always present "we need to make sure that" (insert feel good sounding phrase here) perhaps even his legion now grow sick upon hearing his words. And really... why wouldn't they have... like the rest of us... grown tired of the finger pointing and less than apologetic excuses.

I could almost feel sorry for him but i'll save that for feeling sorry for the rest of us. Obama's dismal performance in regards to the economy has left most Americans near broke and shaking their heads in bewilderment. The country is cloaked in a feeling of despair and instead of admitting error and changing coarse Obama still tries, against all logic to convince us that he has led us onto the right path. But for the Republican road block... he would lead us to a better tomorrow. He seems to possess a glaring disconnect between the enacting of his ideology and the results of that ideology on our nation. Of course he will always have his fan base, victims of the -messiah vision- who's mythology lionizes his every move and perceives every negative comment thru a -persecution complex- tinted lens.

But what has happened to his masses of adoring fans? No doubt many have buyers remorse. And many have no time for fawning over The One as they are to busy stockpiling food and doing other such things in preparation for a possible collapse. What looked like paranoia a few short years ago... now looks like reality.

I for one can't blame Obama for his allusions, after all he rode in on a wave of messiah fixation and was dubbed the chosen one early on. Since he is of the same makeup as his worshipers he has in all likely hood fallen victim to the same messiah vision as them. They believe he is... so in his mind he must be.

It is easy to imagine the mixed messages his mind must deal with while sitting in the oval office. The european elite believe him to be one of them, as does he- yet the Euro slowly dies. He has a thinning but still loud holier-than-thou cult-like following who believe he will turn earth into a Utopia still feeding his arrogance- the non-believers grow louder though. He rubs shoulders with the rich and famous- but many of them have grown tired of his chatter. Hollywood adores him- but whine he has not been liberal enough. And finally ...picture if you will- Obama at his desk, the sunlight shining in thru the windows... reflecting off of his Nobel Peace Prize and bathing him in a sunshine glow..... as he signs his approval for yet another execution by drone attack.... A bizarro world beyond fiction.

And what might be his plan for staying in power.... here's one theory. Continue to keep us the beaten down hostages we are now until we all develop *Stockholm Syndrome.- JP

*In psychology, Stockholm Syndrome is a term used to describe a real paradoxicalpsychological phenomenon wherein hostages express empathy and have positive feelings towards their captors, sometimes to the point of defending them. These feelings are generally considered irrational in light of the danger or risk endured by the victims.

Today, Congressman John Boehner (R-OH) and Congressman Bob Gibbs (R-OH) released the following joint-column discussing the bipartisan “Forgotten 15” jobs bills passed by the House that are stuck in the Democratic-controlled Senate. The "Forgotten 15" includes the Reducing Regulatory Burdens Act (H.R. 872), a jobs bill authored by Rep. Gibbs that would stop the federal government from needlessly imposing costly and duplicative permitting requirements for pesticide use near waterways:

"Our nation’s economy is struggling to create jobs, and American families are filled with anxiety about declining net income and chronically high unemployment.

"One year ago, fed up with a Congress that wasn’t focusing on the jobs crisis, Americans put a new majority in charge of the House of Representatives. As part of that new majority, we pledged to focus relentlessly on removing obstacles that are standing in the way of job creation. We promised to send a steady stream of jobs legislation to the Democrats in the White House and Senate, who still control the rest of Washington.

"Since the beginning of the year, that is precisely what we’ve done. The House has passed an array of bills aimed at removing barriers to job creation and helping American job creators get back to doing what they do best. Some of these bills have been signed into law by President Obama. But tragically, many of them have never reached the president’s desk. Instead they’ve been stuck in the United States Senate gathering dust instead of garnering votes.

"At least 15 jobs bills have passed the House this year with significant bipartisan support, and are now sitting in the Senate waiting to be brought to a vote by the Democratic leadership. My colleagues and I have begun to refer to these jobs bills as the ‘Forgotten 15.’

"One of the Forgotten 15 is H.R. 872, the Reducing Regulatory Burdens Act, which was passed by the House back on March 31 with significant bipartisan support. The objective of the bill – which is part of our Plan for America’s Job Creators (Jobs.GOP.gov) – is to stop the federal government from needlessly imposing costly and duplicative permitting requirements for pesticide use near waterways.

"Pesticide use is already regulated, as it should be. The federal government is seeking to require the permitting not because an additional layer of regulation is needed, but because a misguided 2009 court order directed the Environmental Protection Agency to do it.

"Now that this ill-advised court decision has been implemented, public health officials, farmers, ranchers and even everyday citizens will face increased financial and administrative burdens in order to comply with the new permitting process; and all this expense comes with no additional environmental protection. It will be just another government obstacle to job creation at a time when our economy can least afford it.

"In order to overturn the court order and stop the job-crushing permitting requirements from being imposed, a bill has to be enacted by Congress.

"H.R. 872 passed the House in March with strong bipartisan support. A total of 57 Democrats voted with Republicans to approve it. Yet the Democratic-controlled Senate has been sitting motionless on the bill for more than six months.

"With the court order now in effect, the consequences of the Senate’s inaction on H.R. 872 take on a grim new dimension. We’ve known for months that this deadline was approaching, yet the leadership of the Senate has steadfastly refused to even schedule the bill for a vote.

"This is a bipartisan bill that could and should have been signed into law by President Obama more than six months ago to protect American jobs from being destroyed. Instead, H.R. 872 and at least 14 other jobs bills like it are stalled indefinitely in the Senate – “piling up like cord wood” in the words of one of our colleagues, Rep. Jeb Hensarling (R-TX).

"We don’t expect President Obama or the Democratic leaders of the Senate to agree with us on every jobs bill we propose. But this one, approved in the House with the support of nearly a third of the Democratic caucus, is an obvious opportunity for common ground that ought to have been acted upon long ago.

"Instead, because of Senate inaction, American farmers, ranchers and other job creators will begin dealing with the costs of another unnecessary federal requirement, making it more difficult for them to preserve and add jobs. It is unacceptable.

"Americans can’t continue to wait for the Senate to act on H.R. 872 and other jobs bills from the Forgotten 15 passed by the House. It is past time for action. Job creators in America deserve nothing less."

U.S. Rep. John Boehner, representing Ohio’s 8th Congressional District, is Speaker of the House of Representatives. U.S. Rep. is the author of H.R. 872.

The Occupy Wall Street movement has received so much media coverage in recent weeks that it’s nearly impossible to keep abreast of all the developments. So many endorsements and criticisms coming from all directions enter the news cycle in such rapid succession that even the most dedicated news junkies may have missed out on many of the pronouncements. Supporters and detractors of OWS both might find it useful to have a handy all-inclusive list of who has endorsed or embraced the protest..Read more and see updated list... pjmedia.com/zombie

List as of November 4th

The 99%: Official list of Occupy Wall Street’s supporters, sponsors and sympathizers

UPDATE: Thanks to the hundreds of readers who have made suggestions for additional entries on this list. I now have a large pile of potential new OWS supporters to investigate, and will work on updating this list over the upcoming weeks. When I’ve made it more thorough, I will re-launch an updated list that will be much more “official” in its comprehensiveness, sometime later this month. Keep an eye out for it!

Goings-on at the HomesteadWe started stockpiling food a couple of months ago and thought I would share what we've done so far.We buy all our food from Sams Club, Walmart and one of several grocery stores. We buy lots of canned soups and Ramen noodles. The canned soups have a two year expiration date but I believe will last longer. Not sure about the ramen noodles but i'll guess a real looooooooooong time. We buy lots of spaghetti and other noodles also. Two year expiration date on the spaghetti sauce. We also buy lots of canned meats, tuna and chicken, three year shelf life on those. Most of our meat is frozen but if you don't have a generator to keep your freezer running for an extended period (if you lose power) canned meats are the way to go. We also store powdered milk and eggs, dehydrated potatoes and lots of canned vegetables. We also stockpile other essentials normally used for food prep and cooking like chicken broth, tomato sauce, gravies, marinades, salt and pepper and the like.

50lbs of rise

We buy in bulk when possible like rice (50lbs for $15), flour, sugar and corn meal. Over a short time... say six months you can stockpile a good supply of easy to prepare food for not that much money.

One of the shelving units in the main food storage area

There's a saying that goes something like "store what you eat and eat what you store" We figured out a simple way to follow this rule. We designated a food storage room and set up a couple of shelving units, this is our main food storage area. We pull food from this area and put it in our pantry for us to use. We add to a shopping list whatever we remove from the food storage area and put in the pantry.

Pantry shelves

This Weeks Pics: This weeks pics feature some of the more colorful signs from the various Occupy movements.

Our Philosophy

It's not a single ideology, but many ideas, including a reverence for nature and a preference for country life; a desire for maximum personal self-reliance and self-sufficiency and the nurturing of family and friendships. A belief that the primary rewards for hard work should be well-being, security in all matters and a non-dependence on an outside government and it's bureaucracies , and a simple life well lived.

Grasp strongly those things you hold dear and shed from your life the complexities of the world around you. Live for your dreams and wake up every morning smiling and thinking "another day in paradise."

“You cannot legislate the poor into freedom by legislating the wealthy out of freedom. What one person receives without working for, another person must work for without receiving. The government cannot give to anybody anything that the government does not first take from somebody else. When half of the people get the idea that they do not have to work because the other half is going to take care of them, and when the other half gets the idea that it does no good to work because somebody else is going to get what they work for, that my dear friend, is about the end of any nation. You cannot multiply wealth by dividing it.”-- Dr. Adrian Rogers